


Shadowed Footsteps

by fatedfeathers



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 16:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8408182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fatedfeathers/pseuds/fatedfeathers
Summary: It's hard, being the eighth child of a family and being named after the firstborn, even reincarnated.





	

Pippin Harrison would be lying if he said he didn't bear any resentment to his past life parents for naming him after their firstborn son. He tried not to let it bother him too much, though. He doubted he would meet his previous family in this life; he had never met his oldest brother in his past life anyways, and wouldn't know how to express his resentment of always being in  _ his _ shadow.

So Pip didn't focus on his resentment much, and tried to ignore the stab of anger when people confused him with the elder Philip Hamilton. Eventually, he stopped telling people his past name, instead saying he was just someone from the early years of America’s time as a country.

Until he met Philip Harrison.

Philip moved to Pip’s neighborhood halfway through their sophomore year of high school. He happened to be in all the same classes as Pip, and, for some reason, was immediately familiar to him. Instead of talking to Philip, though, Pip avoided him as best as he could. He didn't know why Phil was familiar, he was nearly certain they’d never met in this life or their past, but he had no interest in finding out the reason.

He managed to avoid Philip for almost a month, until his history teacher decided she wanted anyone who had known a historical figure they had discussed in their class so far to talk about them. Pip hadn't been planning on speaking, seeing as his father had been killed in the duel so soon after his birth that Pip had never really known him, and more people knew his father than his mother. But when his teacher announced that someone would be speaking about Alexander Hamilton, he resigned himself to talking about a man he had barely known.

“So, would Philip Hamilton come up to the front of the class?” Ms. Murphy said. Pip sighed audibly, and pushed his chair back from his desk, only to freeze when he realized Philip was doing the same.

Phil stared at Pip. “What are you doing?” he asked, clearly confused. “I was Philip Hamilton.”

“ _ I _ was Philip Hamilton,” Pip responded.

“How can you be Philip Hamilton if I was Philip Hamilton?” Phil asked, even more confused than before.

Pip shifted uncomfortably. “I was named after the firstborn son of the Hamiltons, who died in a duel before I was born,” he said, starting to get an idea of what may have been going on. He gave a wry smile and said dryly, “I was the second try.”

Philip was still staring at Pip in shock. Pip shoved his hands into his pockets, and said, softly, “Surprise. You had another brother.”

It took Phil another few moments to process Pip’s statement, but when he did, his first response was, “Holy shit, they replaced me.”

The teacher’s reprimand of  _ “language, Philip!” _ was drowned out by Pip’s laughter.

“You could put it that way,” he said, still laughing a bit. He sobered up quickly, though. “Everyone tried to see you in me. It was hard for me to be my own person. Angelica never saw me as anything but you. She couldn't be convinced that you were gone, and thought that I was you, even with so many years between us. In a way, I guess,” he finished, “it seems I was your replacement.”

Philip didn't say anything, and after a few moments, Pip turned and walked out of the classroom.

He had made it all the way to the bathroom before Phil caught up with him. Neither of them said anything, just holding eye contact for a solid minute. Finally, Phil broke the silence.

“I know saying sorry isn't enough. There's not even much I can apologize for, outside of dueling Eaker. And trust me, I have a lot of regrets about that. But living as a replacement for someone lost? That's no way to live. Being in someone else's shadow is hard, especially when all you want is to be seen as your own person. So for that burden, I'm sorry.”

Pip blinked, unable to form a response. Phil smiled wryly, as Pip had in the classroom. “Let's start over,” he suggested. He held out his hand for Pip to shake. “I'm Philip Harrison, but most people call me Phil.”

  
Pip looked at the proffered hand and hesitated a beat before shaking Phil's hand. “I'm Pippin Harrison, but everyone just calls me Pip. It's nice to meet you, Phil.” And even as he said it, Pip realized that he meant it. It really was nice to finally meet the person whose shadow had been cast over both of his lives.

**Author's Note:**

> You can tell I lost the thread of my original plan about halfway through. Thats because I had to go to work. Retail is hell, kids.
> 
> Also, a friend of mine has started a Hamilton fic exchange! Signups lose November 1st! Sign up while you can: http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Hamilton_Gift_Exchange_2k16


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